I'm delighted to post that 12 Days of Christmas, an anthology of 12 stories in aid of the child literacy charity The Book Bus, launches today! Isn't it pretty? Little did we know, when Laura Greenwood asked back in May if anyone fancied writing a story for a Christmas anthology, what we were unleashing! The …

I don't go to the library as much as I used to. There, I said it. Then again, when I was a kid, going to the library was a Saturday morning ritual. Mum and Dad would see me off at the door to the children's library (it was actually a separate room, how posh) and …

After last year's egg hunt with rhyming clues, I felt I might have painted myself into a corner. This year, therefore, I've written a little story which has the clues incorporated into it, called 'The Quest for the Easter Bunny'. To stage the egg hunt you'll need 7 envelopes, a printer, and some mini eggs (larger …

As you can probably tell, I'm just a tiny bit excited. I have an article in the Guardian newspaper today! I get the Saturday Guardian most weekends, and in the Family section they run little pieces about photos, records and recipes. I wrote my piece, about Abba's Super Trouper, maybe three weeks ago, sent it to the email address in …

Happy National Scrabble Day! To be honest I had no idea that there even was a National Scrabble Day until I heard it on the radio this morning. However, now that I know I might have to mark it in the calendar. I wouldn't describe myself as a Scrabble fiend, but I do like a …

For the last couple of years I've done an Easter egg hunt for the boys. Last year I was a bit lazy (and pushed for time) and I recycled some of the clues. Which of course they spotted immediately. And they also noted that the Easter Bunny's handwriting is exactly like mine. Not much gets …

Back in October I had the opportunity to attend an 'in conversation with' event featuring Brian Cosgrove. I was VERY excited. For those of you who are considering nipping off to Wikipedia to look him up, Brian Cosgrove is largely responsible for some of the best fun you can have in front of a TV; …